COO, PT

UFORCE exists to make aggression unaffordable.
Founded in Ukraine and headquartered in London, UFORCE is a defence-technology company with operations across Europe, the United States and Asia.
UFORCE builds uncrewed vessels, ground robotics and aircraft, autonomy software, and the command-and-control layer that operates them together. Each platform is deployable on its own, and stronger as part of the system. Its product lines include the MAGURA family of uncrewed surface vessels, the NEMESIS family of strike platforms, the LIUT family of ground robotic platforms, and counter-UAS systems.

About the Role

The COO Portugal owns and scales UFORCE's Portugal operations from ramp-up to predictable, repeatable production execution — building the country operating engine across Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Production Planning, and cross-functional execution.

Success looks like Portugal hitting build-rate, quality, supply-chain readiness, and production-plan commitments consistently, while building the operating cadence and execution culture required for scale.

Responsibilities

• Manufacturing execution — Own production line accountability, standard work, takt and cycle-time visibility, and systematic constraint removal from ramp-up through stable output

• Quality systems — Embed quality controls, CAPA, and traceability into production as part of the operating standard, not as a post-build activity

• Supply chain and material readiness — Own supplier performance, material readiness, kitting, shortage resolution, and procurement risk management before they disrupt production

• Production planning and operating data — Own the planning process end-to-end and ensure operating data — build progress, quality, shortages, constraints — is trusted and consistently maintained

• Country operating system — Install the daily and weekly operating cadence, decision rights, KPIs, and escalation rules that integrate all functions into one coherent production system

Requirements

Essential:

• Senior operations leadership with direct ownership of production output, build rate, quality, and cost

• Supply chain and material-readiness ownership, including supplier OTD, procurement risk, and shortage management

• Quality system and root-cause discipline — embedded controls and CAPA into a production environment, not managed quality as a separate function

• Production planning and execution rigor — translated targets into weekly plans with owners, constraints, and escalation paths

• Clear judgment on functional boundaries — partners with Finance, People, Engineering, and Quality without absorbing their ownership

Preferred:

• Defence, aerospace, maritime, robotics, industrial hardware, or automotive manufacturing background

• High-mix, low-to-mid volume production experience where standard work has to be built, not inherited

• Familiarity with configuration control, traceability, or regulated manufacturing environments

• Experience scaling a country or site operation, not just running a function

The nature of combat has changed.

Tomorrow’s battlefield success depends on autonomy, speed, and adaptability.

And UFORCE is ready.

Are You?